Foldable display-tray for merchandise.



F. R. FAULK 6v T. BRATT. FOLDABLE DISPLAY TRAY FOR MERCHANDISE.

ArPLIoA'rIoN FILED snr'r. 1,1908.

9,25, 8. Patented June 22. 1909. ff? y N C f (z 7 if [110 me Nomvs pneus co.. wnsummaly, v, 4

FRANK ROBERT FAULK AND THOMAS BRATT, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

FOLDABLE DISPLAY-TRAY FOR MERCHANDISE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 1, 1908.

Patented .Tune 22, 1909.

Serial No. 451,173.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK Ronirr FAULK and THOMAS BRATT, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and Improved Foldable Display-Trays for Merchandise, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. l

The purpose of our invention is to provide novel details of construction for display trays, used for exposure of seed packages or o'ther'merchandise, in a prominent manner, and that adapt the trays for close assembling' in a suitable receptacle, when the trays areno'tY in use, or are to be shipped to different localities where the goods held in the trays are to be exposed for sale.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts, as is hereinafter described and defined in the appended claims. I

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this speciication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure l is a sectional side view of a holder box, and a side view of the improved trays in folded adjustment; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a corner portion of the improvement; and Fig. 8 is a sectional side view of the holder box erected for service, and the improved trays hung together in a tier therein.

In the drawings, 5 indicates a rectangular box-like receptacle, preferably formed of wood, and having suitable dimensions for effective service in a dual capacity, as will be hereinafter explained, and 5' represents a rectangular planchet of wood, that is also of twofold use as a cover for the receptacle 5 and as a rear vertical wall that is erected from the upper edge of the rear wall of the box 5, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

plurality of rectangular box-like trays 6 are' provided, each preferably formed of wood', all having such a length and width that they may be placed side by side together in the holder box 5 and seated upon the bottom wall thereof, as shown in Fig. l. Upon each end wall 6a of e'ach tray 6, a platev metal guide' 7 is secured, said plate metal guides having a laterally bent flange a formed on the upper edge of each, which is seated upon the upper edge of a respective end wall (3a and secured thereto by nails or screws, as indicated in Fig. 2. The guide plates -7 may be bent at a right angle at their longitudinal centers, so as to adapt each guide plate to tit against the front corner of a tray at each end thereof, and at the corner of each guide plate a tubulation is formed that is disposed vertically when the guide plates are secured on the corners of the trays.

At the normally front side wall 5b of the holder box a vertical guide rod S is secured in each corner thereof, but has clearance from the walls of said box. The preferred manner of securing each guide rod in place consists in forming a staple hook e on each end thereof, and embedding said hooks respectively in thel wooden material at the upper and lower sides or edges thereof, the. bodyA of each guide rod at the lower end passing through the bottom wall 5c of the box 5, so that the lower staple hook may be driven into the bottom wall at a respective corner thereof, as indicated in Figs. it and 3.

Before the guide plates 7 for the front tray are secured in place, the guide rods S are respectively introduced into the tubulations and when thus engaged it will be seen that the front tray G may be raised so that the upper edges of its defining walls may be rendered tlush with the top edges of the holder box 5, or the front tray may be lowered by its gravity to rest on the bottom wall 5C, while the tray is held loosely secured upon the holder box by the tubulations b and guide rods 8.

Upon the front tray G at each end thereof,

an angularly bent coupling bracket is secured, these similar brackets each consisting of a single wire rod bent into shape as follows: Between its ends and near the center of a wire rod having a suitable length, two members 9, 9, are formed by bending said rod at an acute angle d. Upon the normally lower end of the member 9, a staple hook e .is formed, the pointed end of which projects parallel with the body 9. The length of the member 9 of each coupling bracket, is slightly greater than the combined height of two of the trays (S, and the tabulation L on each corner of the second tray G of the series, is loosely mounted on a respective bracket member 9, so that the tray may slide thereon. The staple hooks e of the members 9 have their pointed ends driven into the bottom wall of the front tray 6 near the respective rear corners e of said tray, and the second tray 6 is held in position coupled with the front tray, by disposing the members 9a forwardly above the respective end walls of the front tray and bending sharpened toes thereon at an obtuse angle, so that these toes g may be driven down into the upper edges of the end walls 6'al and thus secure the coupling brackets erected on the front tray, as is indicated for one end thereof in Figs. l and 3. The material at the rear corners of the front tray 6 is removed, as indicated at e in Fig. 2, thus affording clearance for the free sliding movement of the second tray on the guiding members 9 of the coupling brackets.

Upon inspection of Figs. l and 3, it will be seen that each tray 6 of the series is provided with the tubulations b at their front corners, and that each tray, except the rear one, at the rear corners thereof is furnished with a pair of coupling brackets, each bracket having a vertical member 9 that is loosely coupled with a respective tubulation on the next tray in sequence, and also with a brace member 9Ll that is extended at an incline from the angle d, forward and downward for secure attachment upon the end walls of the tray upon which said brackets are mounted. The tray 6b, that is the last one in the series, extending from front to rear of the holder box 5, is provided at the ends thereof with two similar bail handles l0, formed of wire rods each having parallel upright limbs z', t', that are secured at their lower ends in the end walls of the tray, the limbs i that extend a suitable distance above the top edge of the tray having their upper ends connected by a transverse bar i. At the rear corners, where the rear upright limb z' at each end of the tray 6b is joined to a respective cross bar i', a loop 2 is formed, that inclines rearward. The planchet 5a, that in service forms the cover for the holder box 5, is also designed to aord an upright extension of the back wall of the holder box 5, and to this end is seated and removably secured at one edge thereof byhinges m that engage the cover and back wall, so that the planchet is held erect, as appears in Fig. 3. Upon the back wall 5a, at a suitable distance above the upper edge of the holder box, an upwardly-turned hook n, is secured near each side edge thereof.

lt will be seen that when the cover board 5a is converted into a rear vertical wall for the holder box 5, the series of trays connected as hereinbefore explained, may be disposed in an inclined position so as to form a tier, by takinghold of the cross bars t" and raisingfthe rear tray 6l and hooking the loops 2 over the hooks n. Upon elevating the tray so as to permit the loops 2 to be engaged with the hooks n, the successive trays G from rear to front, will drop by gravity until the upper ends of the tubulations impinge upon the under sides of the acute angular bends cl, which will obviously transfer the weight of the series of trays mainly upon the hooks n and partially upon the guide rods 8. As the trays 6, 6b are open at their upper sides, it will be apparent that packets of seeds or seeds in a loose condition, may be exposed therein; furthermore, articles of merchandise that are not too bulky may be conspicuously exposed for sale in the improved trays. The preferred use, however, of the improvement, is for the shipment of seeds from a nursery or the place of growth to a point for display and sale; as it will be evident that the trays with their contents may be closely packed in the holder box, the planchet 5a be utilized as a cover therefor which may be screwed thereon, and when desired, the holder box and lid may be adjusted so that the trays may be arranged in a tier, as hereinbefore described, for a display of their contents.

Vhile it is preferred to construct the improvement mainly of thin wooden boards, we do not wish to restrict the manufacture of the device to such a material, as the entire structure may be of sheet metal, such as tin plate or galvanized iron plate, if this is found desirable.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. ln a device of the character described, the combination with a holder box, and two vertical guide rods therein near the respective front corners of said box, of a tray having an angle plate secured on each front corner, and a tubulation formed at the angle of each plate, said tubulations respectively having a loose engagement with the guide rods.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a holder box, and two vertical guide rods secured at the front corners of said box on the inner side thereof, of a front rectangular tray, metal tubulations on the front corners of this tray that have slidable engagement with the guide rods, and a similar tray having a vertically-slidable engagement with the rear corners of the front tray. A

3. In a device of the character described, the plurality of trays, all loosely and slidably connected together at adjacent corners, each of said connections comprising a vertical tubulation at each front corner of a tray, and two coupling brackets on the nextl tray in advance of that having the tubulations, said brackets being respectively connected with the end walls of the tray, and

consisting of a vertical member that is secured on a respective end Wall and has a loose engagement with a respective tubulation, and an inclined member Which extends into engagement with the top edge ot an end Wall a. distance from the vertical member With which it is integral.

4. In a device of the class described, a holder box, guide rods at the front thereof, a tray having plates secured thereto, each of Which is provided With a tnbulation having l a loose engagement with the adjacent guide rod.

ln testimony whereof ive have signed our names to this specification in the presence of l5 two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK ROBERT FAULK. THOMAS BRATT.

Vitnesses lV. J. BECKFIELD, J. H. BnciiincLn. 

